Winner! Spicy Dried Plum Marinara with Butternut Squash Noodles

We are so excited to have had the chance to do a recipe tasting with the final five recipes for our Recipe Redux contest, held at the newly remolded Ketchum PR food studio in San Francisco, California. The five recipes that were up for tasting used California dried plums in a creative, unique , healthy and of course delicious way .They are: Spicy Dried Plum Marinara with Butternut Squash Noodles, Chewy Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies, and Spiced Dried Plum Cauliflower, Dried Plum and Caramelized Onion Flatbread, Spiced Dried Plum Cauliflower Rice and Chocolate Dried Plum Frozen Yogurt Floats. Thees recipes were judge based on, creativity, taste, food trends, use of California dried plums and presentation. You can find these recipes on our website.

Congratulations to Zen & Spice, winner of our No Bones About it recipe contest in conjunction with Recipe Redux.This Spicy dried plum marinara with butternut squash noodles is not only savory with hints of sweet and spicy but it also contains our favorite little purple gems, dried plums. These wrinkly morsels not only add sweetness, they also provide nourishment to your bones, heart and gut. Adding dried plums to your recipes is a delicious, healthy and fun way to put a twist on your meals.

Ingredients(Makes 2 servings)

1 large butternut squash, spiralized

2 teaspoon olive oil

1/2 cup California Dried Plums

1 tablespoon of water

1 teaspoon minced garlic

8oz tomato sauce

10oz diced tomatoes

1/2 teaspoon dried oregano

1 teaspoon onion powder

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon red pepper flakes

1 teaspoon balsamic vinegar

Optional garnish: goat cheese, bacon slices, parsley

Directions

Preheat your oven to 400 degrees. Toss the butternut squash noodles with 1 tsp of the olive oil and spread out on a baking pan. Roast for 10-15 minutes, until squash is al dente. Meanwhile, puree the dried plums in a food processor with 1 tablespoon of water until smooth. Heat the other teaspoon of olive oil in a large pan over medium heat. Add the minced garlic, tomato sauce, and diced tomatoes. Add the oregano, onion powder, salt, red pepper flakes, balsamic vinegar and pureed plums. Stir and cook through for about 4-5 minutes. Remove the noodles from the oven and divide onto two plates. Pour the sauce over both dishes and serve! Optional garnish: crumbled goat cheese, bacon and chopped fresh parsley.